Commons Treasury select committee warned that without government intervention, banks could loose a physical network for the many elderly and poor people who could otherwise be left with no access to face-to-face services.

Representatives of some of the biggest payers of UK’s apprenticeship levy are asking employers be given longer than the two-year deadline to spend their levy money and greater flexibility to use the cash for other “pre-apprenticeship” training.

Subsidiary of Germany’s Deutsche Bahn Arriva, has started legal proceedings against UK Transport secretary Chris Grayling over his department’s handling of the way the East Midlands rail franchise was awarded.